Kapow 2012: Lightning Strike Presents #1

Kapow 2012 was the first place Irish comic book imprint Lightning Strike chose to premiere its new anthology! Conventions are becoming well known as places for major headline grabbing announcements to come out, but there are other newsworthy events that often get lost in the mix. One such event was the release of Lightning Strike Presents #1. The collection originally began as a way to help promote projects from up and coming creators of Irish descent, but as the anthology gained traction the scope widened and the goals became more ambitious. Contributions to the comic now also come from Scotland, England and The United States of America as well! A late addition to the book came from Pete Hernandez III, an independent artist whom I had recently talked to about his own comic book Company Man.

This book seems to do exactly what it set out to do, by showcasing the styles and stories of a variety of artists. There are at least ten different titles collected, some of which are being seen in print for the first time. The series is of course a work in progress too, and they’re looking to recruit! In the final pages they urge you to contact them if you’re an aspiring comic book writer and/or artist who’s looking to share their work and want help to get noticed! Projects like this could very well be influential to the future of our hobby, and deserve our support and recognition. Ordering details are coming to their website soon, but in the meantime they’ve provided a free preview – the first page of every story in the book!